Metaethics

This course is concerned with the study of epistemological, metaphysical, and psychological issues related to ethics. The course focuses on questions like the following: Are moral judgments objective or subjective? Are they relative to the speaker or to the community of the speaker? Are there moral facts? If so, what kind of facts are they (e.g., natural, non-natural, psychological)? What motivates moral action (is it reason, desire, a combination)? Does morality provide reasons for action? What is the relationship between freedom and moral responsibility? Readings are drawn primarily from contemporary authors.